Shrikes and Fruit

Great bird news this week! We’ve finally – after about four or five attempts and many miles covered – spotted a Great Grey Shrike on our trip to the New Forest yesterday, hurrah. Such a beautiful bird and a real pleasure to see. Especially as we’d just given up and were returning to the car when suddenly there it was. Bliss. A lifetime first. Two other lifetime firsts yesterday were the black-throated diver and the scaup. Triple huzzahs then! And we also added to our year bird count with a Dartford warbler, a little grebe, grey plovers, curlews, a Brent goose, sanderlings (hundreds of them) and a ringed plover. Big results all round indeed.

Finally, in Book World, Chapter Six of The Prayer Seeker’s Journal is now uploaded and can be found here. In which Michael has his first experience of spiritual direction, which isn’t entirely what he was expecting.

And here’s this week’s haiku:

Hidden amongst treescrocus shoots point to the skies.Deep green and slender.